Ex-Yushchenko aide: Corruption led him to resign

Ex-aide to Yushchenko says corruption led him to resign

Associated Press

Published 5:30 am, Tuesday, September 6, 2005

KIEV, UKRAINE - A close aide to President Viktor Yushchenko who was a chief organizer of the "Orange Revolution" protests said Monday he resigned from the government because of systemic corruption around the Ukrainian leader.

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Poroshenko attended the news conference, which was broadcast live, and stood in the back frowning as Zinchenko spoke. When Zinchenko completed his prepared statement, lengthy applause broke out in the room.

Zinchenko's departure as state secretary is the first major resignation since Yushchenko took office in January, after a bitter and prolonged campaign in this former Soviet republic.

Zinchenko said he decided to make a "sharp public announcement" to ensure that Ukrainians and Yushchenko understood the extent of the problem.

After Zinchenko finished speaking, Poroshenko accused Zinchenko of trying to "explode (Yushchenko's) team from the inside" and challenged him to back up his allegations.